The present invention relates to a barbecue system combining cooking, eating and ventilating means. The arrangement of the elements forming the system permits a group of people, including the host and guests, to be seated about the periphery thereof and to cook and eat their meals in comfort, and particularly to permit the host to remain seated with his guests without having to walk back and forth, to and from the barbecue. According to the present invention each user of the barbecue may individually cook his or her own food and eat the same on an eating counter or a shelf-like table surrounding the cooking area within easy reach of the grill and the griddle forming part of the system.
A barbecue disclosing an arrangement having a similar configuration is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,491,744. Said barbecue, however, was found to have a drawback in that persons seated around said barbecue were not sufficiently protected from the heat and smoke generated in the cooking. The fan arrangement disclosed in said patent pulls the hot, smoky air from the cooking area upwardly in a turbulent stream which tends to engulf the persons seated about the barbecue. This drawback is eliminated by the present system employing an air flow principle which, through ventilation, creates cooling comfort for the users of the barbecue, particularly in hot weather.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a pleasant environment for the use of a combination cooking and eating device with a central, open-fire cooking means and a surrounding metal hot plate or griddle means, both of which are surrounded by an eating counter.
It is a further object of the present invention to design the overall dimensions of the system so that all elements are within easy reach of the individuals seated around its eating counter, while protected from the heat and smoke of the cooking apparatus. As a result, the users of the barbecue system may carry on conversations in comfort despite the proximity of said cooking means.
It is another object of the invention to provide a flexible seating and eating arrangement capable of accommodating varying number of users of the barbecue.